This paper looks at political renewal in France from 2002 to 2022, covering four parliamentary terms since the introduction of gender parity legislation, and considering the wave of newcomers elected via Macron’s newly formed party in 2017.
The paper forms part of a larger project exploring the impact of this renewal, the extent to which it has managed to transform parliament, and the extent to which institutions and norms have remained resistant to change. The focus in this paper is on the backgrounds and career trajectories of French deputies. I examine who deputies are and the extent to which they are descriptively representative of French society. I find that the women elected through gender quotas are less privileged than their male counterparts, but a strong elite bias remains, and the gap between men and women has narrowed over time. I also examine pathways into parliament, demonstrating that they remain very gendered. Women enter politics later, start their careers with fewer resources, and exit parliament earlier than men. Men are better placed to rise to the top and also to bounce back in the face of defeat. These differences have major repercussions for women’s efficacy within parliament and their ability to reach positions of power within French politics.
Rainbow Murray is a Professor of Politics at Queen Mary University of London. She is an expert in French and British politics with a particular interest in gender and representation. She is currently completing a book manuscript (which this presentation draws on), looking at the long-term impact of gender quotas on the French parliament. She is also developing a new research project looking at the substantive representation of men. She tweets @Rainbow Murray.
Kiwi Ting is a Lecturer in Comparative Politics at University of Reading. Kiwi completed his PhD at the Department of Government at LSE.